Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII or any of the characters used in this fic. I am making no money off of them.

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Helpless When She Smiles

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Changes

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Vincent watched calmly as Cloud paced the hallway of the floor where Tifa was getting examined by the on-call doctor. He had wanted to stay with her, but mid-way through the examination, he had nearly passed out when he had realized that he and Tifa were going to have a baby in a matter of hours. Tifa had asked him to leave and get something to drink, or at least some fresh air. She had been only half dilated when they had arrived, and before he had gotten kicked out, the doctor said that it would be a few more hours before the baby would be born.

Cloud stopped his pacing and ran his hands through his hair in jerky movements, missing the amused look on Yuffie's face as she sat in the warmth of Vincent's coat. She leaned her head against his shoulder and let out a deep breath. The others were waiting down in the lobby, since that many people were not allowed in the waiting room on the floor, but Cloud was seriously contemplating telling them to go get some rest if it was going to take so long.

"Sit down, Cloud. You need to relax," said Vincent evenly.

"Yeah, I'd like to see you when you decide to have your own kids," muttered Cloud.

Yuffie looked up at Vincent and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. He gave her a dry look. She just smirked and looked back at Cloud, who had been watching the interaction with raised eyebrows.

"You two are…… finally together?" he asked. Though he had seen them smooching out in the gardens at the museum before Tifa had gone into labor, he still felt he needed to hear it from Vincent in order to really believe it.

Vincent nodded. "We are," he acquiesced.

Cloud looked thoughtful. "You two go good together. It's nice to see that you're willing to move on," he said with a slight smile.

Yuffie grinned and made a big show of kissing Vincent's cheek, earning them some amused looks from some nurses passing by, and making the gunman flush slightly in embarrassment. "Don't go all embarrassed on me, Vince. If we're going to be together, I want the whole world to know," she mouthed with a grin.

Vincent just shook his head and they both looked up when the doctor left Tifa's room. Cloud nearly jumped a foot in the air. "Is she okay? Is the baby okay?"

"They are both just fine. The labor seems to be speeding along and your wife is nearly nine centimeters dilated. If the labor keeps up this way, the baby should be born in another hour or two. She has been asking for you, so go ahead and enter the room," the doctor said to him.

"Thank you," said Cloud before turning to Vincent and Yuffie. "Thanks for being here, both of you. When the baby is born, I will let you know."

Yuffie nodded and offered a thumbs-up to the man before he walked into the private room Tifa had been placed in for the labor. She turned to look at Vincent and sighed. "I wonder who the baby is going to look like."

"Hopefully she will not have Cloud's hair," muttered Vincent.

The ninja grinned and entwined her fingers with his left hand. "You just made a joke! You're so cute, Vince!"

"Cute?" he asked in distaste.

"What, are you too good to be called cute?" she mouthed as she stood in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes holding his as he looked up at her.

Vincent shrugged one shoulder and placed his hands against her slim waist, bringing her in against him. Their lips met in a gentle kiss that left her breathless and nearly ripped his heart from his chest. How could he have been foolish enough to believe that he would never love her the way he had loved Lucrecia? Yuffie was everything the other woman had never been and never wanted to be. Though she had lost some of her shine with the loss of her voice, she was still amazing and beautiful.

Yuffie pulled back and ran her hands carefully through his silky soft hair, enjoying the way the strands slid easily through her fingers. "I hope Cloud doesn't faint while Tifa is actually giving birth."

Vincent smirked and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she sat down next to him again and let out a tired sigh. "Get some rest. I will wake you when we have some news," he said as he moved to stand.

Yuffie grabbed his hand and pulled him back down onto the couch of the waiting room. She grinned and then laid her head on his thigh before snuggling down as much as she could. Vincent looked down at her and ran gentle hands through her own hair, helping to ease her into a light sleep. He smiled slightly to himself and sat back to wait for the birth of the next little Strife.

…

It was the middle of the night when a nurse walked over to them and Vincent came awake before she even opened her mouth. "Mrs. Strife has just given birth to her baby girl and asked me to come out here to tell you and your wife," she said with a kind smile.

Vincent felt something jump in his chest at the assumption that Yuffie was his wife, but did not correct the woman. "Thank you. What about Cloud?"

"Mr. Strife fainted right after he saw the birth of his daughter. He's still out cold in the arm chair in her room. The baby will be in the nursery for the next ten minutes, then we will take her to her mother. Visiting hours are later this morning, but you and the rest of your friends can see the baby in the nursery tonight," she said before walking away.

Vincent shook Yuffie awake gently and watched as she yawned and sat up, a sleepy smile on her face. "Tifa just had the baby and the nurse will place her in the nursery for a while so that we can see her. I will go tell the others while you go see the child," he said, standing and walking towards the elevator.

Yuffie yawned again and made her way towards the nursery with the big window and the various infants sleeping away in their clear, plastic bassinets. The nurse that was watching over the newborns had seen her arrive with Tifa and Cloud, so she helpfully pointed to one of the few baby girls wrapped in pink. Yuffie felt her heart melt in an instant. She was tiny, with pale skin, rosy cheeks, and a tiny nose. And though she was barely a few minutes old, Yuffie could tell that she looked just like Cloud.

The rest of AVALANCHE arrived in minutes and Yuffie pointed to Lilly Aerith Strife before everyone broke into 'awws' and happy laughter. They all wondered where Cloud was, and snickering promptly broke from Yuffie and Cid when Vincent explained what the nurse had told him about Cloud fainting after the birth of the baby.

By the time they arrived at their apartment, since Tifa was sedated and couldn't receive any visitors until later on in the day, both Yuffie and Vincent were beyond tired. Yuffie pulled off her boots and clothes before slipping into her bed with only an oversized t-shirt on. And though Vincent had wanted them to stay in their own bedrooms, he had caved and had slipped into bed next to her, his arms warm and secure around her.

……

"We should stop by the gift shop and buy Tifa and the baby something," Yuffie mouthed to Vincent as she pulled on some clean clothes and proceeded to brush her damp hair. They had slept into the late morning, and had a very refreshing bout of sex in the shower that had completely woken her up and left her in a cheery mood.

Vincent nodded and used her brush to pass it over his own damp hair a few times as well. Yuffie watched in amusement and sighed to herself when the warm feeling in her chest grew tenfold. She was happy, or at least happier than she remembered feeling after she had lost her voice and her father had been killed. Though she had refused to talk about what had happened, and had even cursed Reeve as best she could when he had almost begged her to see a shrink a few days after the attack, she felt that her life was getting better. Still, she wanted her voice back, but Vincent didn't want her to take the treatment. Even if she did accept the surgeries, she would have to wait more than a year in order to see if it worked. She didn't know if she would be able to pass so much time without a voice. Without a real conversation.

"Are you all right?" asked Vincent from behind her. He watched her reflection in the mirror and noticed that though she had been more cheerful this morning than he remembered seeing her, he had seen the happiness dim some in the past few minutes.

Yuffie nodded and offered a small smile before standing and pulling him out of the room and towards the kitchen for breakfast. After making quick work of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee, they made their way out and towards the hospital to visit Tifa. At the gift shop, Yuffie picked out some white and red roses for her friend, while she tasked Vincent with picking something out for the baby.

Vincent stared at the various things for a newborn and was at a loss. He had no idea what newborn babies did, or what they liked, and faintly wondered if they even noticed any of the things going on around them. He supposed that a blanket would do, since he didn't know what else he could get a little being that was only a few hours old.

"Vince, that blanket is ugly. Isn't there something better for you to give to Cloud and Tifa's baby?" Yuffie asked him at the register.

Vincent gave her a flat look before looking down at the white blanket with little moogles making weird faces. "You asked me to pick something out for the baby when I know nothing of children," he muttered. "I picked something and this is what I want the girl to have."

Yuffie merely rolled her eyes and paid for the gifts after another session of glaring between them, since he had felt it necessary for him to pay, and they made their way up towards the maternity floor. Tifa was up and smiling when they knocked and stepped through the door. Cloud was sitting by the bed, looking happier than Yuffie had ever remembered seeing him, and there were various balloons and gift bags on a table in the corner. In Tifa's arms sat a little bundle in pink, sucking her thumb and sleeping peacefully.

Yuffie nearly skipped over to look at the baby up close and was there in time to see the little girl open her eyes to reveal baby blue's the same shade as Cloud's. Yuffie was making cooing noises in her head at the adorable little girl, though she was still slightly red and a bit wrinkled—Tifa had told her a few weeks ago that this was expected in all newborns—she was the prettiest baby she had ever seen.

"Congratulations," said Vincent, handing the flowers and the present to Cloud so that he could place them where he could.

"Thank you," said Tifa with a smile, handing over the baby to Yuffie so that the ninja could hold her.

"Are you sure that it's safe for Yuffie to hold Lilly?" asked Cloud as he hovered next to a glaring Yuffie. "No offense," he said at the look on her face. "But she's pretty tiny and I don't know if you've ever held a baby before."

Yuffie sighed in irritation and walked over to sit down in a chair. Though it was irritating that Cloud didn't trust her with his newborn daughter, she understood to a point. She had never held a baby this tiny before because there had never been an excuse for her to hold any babies whatsoever. Vincent walked over to her and kneeled by her side to look at the baby as Yuffie inspected her, even going as far as to pulling the little hat on her head to reveal blonde hair only slightly darker than Cloud's. Her grip was strong around Yuffie's finger, and she fell back into sleep in her arms.

"Oh, you two will make great parents some day," said Tifa with a sniffle. Cloud refrained from rolling his eyes and sat next to Tifa on the hospital bed so that he could wrap an arm around the hormonal, new mother.

Yuffie just shook her head and smirked before returning her gaze back to the newborn in her arms. "Ask Cloud if it's true that he fainted. I want to hear it from him," she mouthed to Vincent with an evil glint in her eyes.

"I will do no such thing," muttered Vincent so that the other couple didn't hear them.

Yuffie gave him a playful pout and watched Vincent as he rubbed a gentle finger down the baby's cheek. Then she stood and walked over to hand the infant back to Tifa. Yuffie traced a heart over her own heart and smiled. Tifa nodded in understanding. "Thanks for being here, and for staying last night too. It was good to know that some of you were conscious while I had my baby," she said, sliding Cloud a mischievous look.

Cloud's cheeks turned a faint pink as Yuffie laughed silently and even Vincent tried to contain his amusement. Yuffie walked over to Cloud and patted him on the head, giving him a mocking, sympathetic look. Cloud swatted her hand away before Vincent pulled Yuffie away from the other man. "Leave him be, Yuffie," he murmured.

Yuffie wrinkled her nose at him and then shrugged. "Tell Tifa that her baby is beautiful and that we'll visit her as soon as she's feeling up to it, please."

Vincent relayed the message and they said their goodbyes. Tifa watched with a smile as the door to her room closed and she caught a glimpse of Yuffie sliding her hand into Vincent's. She turned to look at Cloud, who was gazing at Lilly as if he had never seen anything quite like her. "Are you happy, Cloud?" she asked him as her eyes drifted to their child as well.

Cloud looked at her and smiled a true smile. "Never thought I would feel the way I do. You, Denzel, and now Lilly are my reasons to live…… and I'm happy," he murmured before kissing her gently, a gentle hand resting on the infant between them.

…………

Three blissful months of peace passed by, at least that had been Yuffie's thought before Tifa had called and asked her to baby-sit Denzel and Lilly. Though Cloud had been more than opposed to leaving his baby girl with a voiceless ninja. He knew that Denzel was old enough to take care of himself, but what if Yuffie dropped the baby on her head?

Yuffie had given him the finger when he had said that to Tifa in front of her. Then the bartender had had to break up a squabble between them before it escalated. "Denzel knows our numbers in case of emergency, Cloud. Besides, I know that Yuffie is more than capable to take care of both our babies." And here she ruffled Denzel's hair as the boy rolled his eyes. "She's been over with us many many times and she's learned how to change and feed Lilly. Denzel knows how to as well. We need this evening, Cloud. We haven't been alone in months," she said with a pout.

Cloud let out a deep breath and nodded, looking at Yuffie ruefully. "Okay, I'm sorry about saying those things about you, Yuffs. Tifa is right, Denzel and Lilly couldn't be in better hands," he admitted.

Yuffie grinned and nodded, taking the infant from Cloud and squeezing her little cheek gently. Tifa and Cloud had a romantic evening planned that had to be kid-free in order to be enjoyed. But it appeared to Yuffie that Cloud was feeling the separation anxiety more than Tifa. Denzel was already sitting at the couch, playing a video game, since he had finished his homework earlier in the day. Tifa let her know that she had also made some food for them all—including Yuffie—so that they didn't have to worry about cooking or ordering anything. Lilly's bottles were ready to be warmed up, and she would be asleep in an hour or two. The couple left a few minutes later, but before Yuffie could even place Lilly in the bassinet Cloud and Tifa had brought over as well, there was a knock at the door.

Yuffie frowned to herself and checked who it was before opening the door. Reeve was on the other side and he smiled when he saw who she was holding. "Hello, Yuffie. How is this big girl doing?" he asked with a big grin, taking Lilly in his arms and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Cloud and Tifa just left. Did you see them on your way up?"

"No," he said. "They were probably on their way down as I came up. So you're babysitting today?" he walked over and sat next to Denzel, trading greetings before Reeve turned his attention back to Yuffie.

"Yeah. Vincent isn't going to be back from his secret mission thing for a few more days, so I have to find something else to occupy my time. Tifa and Cloud needed a sitter for today, so I offered. Those two need some time away from the kids."

Reeve chuckled and nodded. He sat the baby on his lap, so that she could look at Denzel or at Yuffie if she wanted. She truly was a cutie. Her blonde hair was growing longer, and Tifa had placed a little bow to hold the unruly strands away from her forehead and eyes. Her eyes, so big and blue looked curiously at her surroundings, even at her tender age of three months. She sucked a thumb into her mouth and Reeve smiled, wishing he had someone to share a child with, but he guessed it wasn't his time yet. He turned to Yuffie and chuckled when he found her making funny faces at the baby.

"Yuffie…" he started, trailing off a bit until she looked up at him again. "Have you thought about the treatment?"

She nodded and looked sad and irritated at the same time. "Part of me wants to, Reeve, but the other part is siding with Vincent. He made me promise that I wouldn't take it."

Reeve sighed and sat back, taking the cloth that Yuffie was offering when he felt a wet glob of baby drool fall on his hand. "I know that you have waited a long time to be with Vincent and that you don't want to do anything to jeopardize your relationship, but Yuffie, this needs to be your decision. Not his. It's your life, your voice."

"I know Reeve. I know."

"In any case, whenever you are ready, the treatment plan has been completed. If you take it, it's up to you. If you don't, it's your decision as well. Whatever you do, Yuffie, we'll be by you."

She smiled and took the baby back when Reeve handed her over. "Thanks Reeve. Maybe I need some more time. Maybe I'll even convince Vincent, but I don't know anymore," she admitted, a small smile on her face as Lilly looked up at her with her pretty blue eyes.

Reeve stood and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much. I'll see you later kid. Remember that if you ever need to get some training done, you can use the rooms at HQ whenever you want. You need to keep in shape," he said pleasantly.

Yuffie just rolled her eyes and walked him to the door after placing Lilly in her bassinet and giving her her favorite pacifier. Reeve smiled and gave her a small, reassuring hug before he walked out the door. Yuffie checked the baby once more before going to the kitchen to get something to drink for her and Denzel. As she grabbed two bottles of some type of fruit juice that included carrots—Vincent must've gotten those—her thoughts returned to what Reeve had said to her.

She knew that he wasn't trying to drive her and Vincent apart, but he was right. This was her decision and really, though Vince cared about her, he couldn't just ask her to give up something that could potentially return her voice. What if the treatment really did work and she had been denying herself the use of her voice because Vincent asked her to? But she couldn't really blame him. It was her decision either way, even if he became angry with her.

Yuffie handed over the bottled juice to Denzel and picked up the second controller of the game system that Reeve had given to her as a Christmas gift nearly three months ago. A smile slipped onto her face when she remembered the little get together Tifa and Shera had thrown at the bar for all of them. Lilly had been just about two weeks old and Tifa had already been on her feet, despite having Cloud nagging at her that she should be resting. Little Sean was growing into a cutie himself, and Yuffie hoped that his looks kept close to his mother's. After the dinner and gift exchange, she and Vincent had gone back home and had shared a long, hot bath.

His gift to her had been a brand new shuriken, half the size of the one she currently owned, with slots for materia. Along with the weapon, he had given her three mastered materia, and though she no longer jumped off the walls at the sight of materia that she didn't own, she was happy and she loved his gift.

Her gift to him had been a brand new cloak, exactly like the one he owned now, except for the frayed edges. It had taken her a while to find a shop that would make it for him exactly like the one he had, since the style had been dead for over twenty years. He had liked her gift and had been wearing it since he had received it. He had wanted to dispose of his old cloak, but Yuffie had refused and had placed it in a safe place. After all, that cloak had gone through so much, she hadn't been willing to part with it as easily as Vincent had.

Though they hadn't analyzed what type of relationship they were in now—since it appeared to Yuffie that he didn't want her to see other men, namely Reno—they were good. He slept with her in her room, and they'd had many nights dedicated to memorizing each other's body late into the night. She had been missing him for the better part of two weeks now, thanks to his mission with the WRO. But soon he would be back, and he would touch her and kiss her as if she were a precious treasure of his that he never wanted to let go.

But despite all of his attentions towards her, Reeve was right, damn it. So as she got her butt kicked by a monster on the screen for not paying attention, she resolved to talk to Vincent as soon as he returned. She was scared to death of the discussion, but if he wasn't willing to stay by her side if she went with the treatment, then maybe they really weren't meant to be.

………

Vincent watched Yuffie from over his book as she shined the blades of her shurikens. He had returned from his mission with the WRO two days before, only to find that Yuffie was more withdrawn from him. Since losing her voice, she had been quiet to a certain point, but now it was worse. She seemed depressed and though he had asked her if she was okay more than once, she always replied that she was fine. But he could see that she wasn't. Her eyes darted to him for about the fifth time in the last five minutes and he set down his book.

"Is there something you want to say to me?" he asked her gently.

Yuffie bit her lip and nodded once. "I know you didn't want me to consider the mako treatment at all, Vince, but," she paused and looked down at her weapons. "I want my voice back. I want to work with the WRO and with you and Reeve. I can't just spend another moment here, doing nothing. Tifa has been a great friend, but I can't impose on her so much either. Without my voice, I can't do a single thing. I wouldn't be able to rule Wutai, even if I wanted to."

Vincent looked at her and felt her sadness squeeze around his chest. "I'm worried that I'll lose you if you become poisoned or if something goes wrong with this treatment," he admitted.

The ninja shook her head. "You can lose me any number of different ways, Vince. I can get run over by a car, or I can fall off a chocobo and break my neck, or lightning can strike me while I'm standing out on the terrace."

Her words amused him, despite the subject they were talking about. "All of those things are highly unlikely, but I understand that you are trying to say. Still… you've read what can happen to you, right? Your heart can stop; your organs can fail you, if you get mako poisoning. Worse yet, you may fall into a vegetative state the way Cloud did, and there would be no way of bringing you back. What would I do then, Yuffie? What would I do without you?"

Yuffie stood and walked over to crawl into his lap and wrap her arms around his neck. She pulled back to touch his face and to press a kiss to his lips. "I can't go on this way, Vincent. I need my voice back."

Vincent ran his hand over her bare leg, a touch of comfort and not of seduction like it normally was between them. He had never been big on physical comfort before Yuffie had come along. He now knew the importance of a hug, or of a simple touch on the shoulder, even some hand holding. "Why don't you just rejoin the WRO the way you are? You are still a capable warrior with many skills that the normal soldiers do not have."

Yuffie let go of him abruptly and stood, a scowl on her face as she stormed back to her shurikens. She resumed the shining with almost near violence and Vincent approached cautiously. "That is not the point," she mouthed angrily. "I can't talk, Vincent! I can't go on missions because I am more of a liability than anything else! How will I be able to call for back-up or report anything out of the ordinary? What if I'm in danger but I can't say why because I don't have a Leviathan-forsaken voice?"

She was so distraught that Vincent was having a hard time understanding what she was mouthing at him, but he caught it all and tried to calm her down. "I will leave you so that you can calm down. We will continue this talk in an hour or two," he said, turning to go. Apparently he had said the wrong thing, for a second after he had turned, something whistled by his ear and nearly sliced off some of his hair. His eyes slid forward to the shuriken he had given her and was now lodged in the previously unblemished door. He turned and gave Yuffie a cool look before he saw that there were tears in her eyes.

She moved to run into her room, but despite her training he was still faster and he caught her in his arms before she could shut herself in. Vincent hugged her as she struggled in his grip, the tears falling down her face now. He held her tightly, murmuring soothing words against her temple and feeling his heart hurting in his chest at her pain. He had thought that she was okay now that they were together, but he had been wrong to assume that the loss of her voice hadn't affected her as much as it had. There wasn't much that he could do except kiss her.

He kissed her as if he would crawl into her mouth, and she kissed him just as intensely. Soon there were no more clothes between them, just his skin against hers. His lips touching hers. His thumbs smoothing away her tears. He had come to know her body as well as his own, and he reveled in the fact that his touch could cause her to arch her back, that his kisses could make her clutch at his back, and that the movement of his body against her, inside her, could make her breathing quicken into pants.

Later, as she lay sprawled over him, her index finger curling around a strand of his silky black hair the way she was so fond to do after they had been intimate, he came to a decision. "I'm sorry that I can't fully understand what you are going through," he murmured into the darkening room. Her gentle lips pressed over the place where his heart was. "I will be going on another mission, tied in with the one I was just on. But… I will be gone for two to three months. I promise you that this will be the last mission I take for a while."

Yuffie sighed sadly against him and nodded to let him know that she understood. Vincent ran his hand through the short locks of her hair before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Give me that time and then when I return, I will be there with you while you get that treatment done. I left Lucrecia to her own devices, but I will not leave you, Yuffie. I will be there with you through it all."

She smiled to herself and wrapped her arms around Vincent tightly, pressing kisses to his jaw, trying to tell him how thankful she was that he would be there with her in case the treatment didn't work or if things went wrong.

Now she felt guilty for throwing her shuriken at him, but she had a very nice way of making it up to him. She pressed her lips to his in another hot kiss.

…………

Yuffie bounced the giggling infant in her arms, grinning when Lily put her tiny hands in her hair and pulled. With the combined blood of a mako enhanced man and a martial artist, the girl's strength was something to worry about. Tifa's eyes widened and she pried the five-month-old girl from the ninja.

Yuffie gave her a thankful look and checked her head for bald spots. Though she loved the little girl to death, Yuffie needed a bit of distance between them now that the baby had discovered that hair was great for pulling. The baby loved her as much as she loved Tifa and Cloud because of all the time she had been spending over at the bar recently.

Vincent had been gone on his mission for almost two months now, but he communicated with her through messages whenever he could. She missed him very much, but there wasn't much she could do but wait for him to return so that she could have a chance at getting her voice back.

Since she didn't have much to do during the day, she spent her time between training at the WRO HQ and hanging with Tifa and the kids at Seventh Heaven. She had even learned to cook a few more different things that she hadn't known before. Normally, Vincent cooked for the both of them, which gave her a fuzzy feeling in her stomach when she thought of it, but other times she took charge of breakfast and lunch, cooking simple things.

Though she hadn't been eating breakfast for the last few days, since her stomach had been acting funny before she got out of bed. Putting aside the thoughts of making herself sick because she missed Vincent so much, she looked at Tifa as she kissed her baby girl and tickled her gently. "She's getting so big, isn't she?" she asked Yuffie.

The ninja nodded and would've jumped back playfully when the baby reached for her, but she felt her vision tilt and she reached out blindly for anything to hold onto. Thankfully, her hands found the counter of the bar and she held on for dear life, breathing a little ragged as her vision went back to normal. The weird rumble of nausea came back and she darted towards the bathroom before Tifa could even ask her if she was okay.

"Cloud?" she called him from where he had been talking to Barret in the corner booth. He walked over to her and gave her a questioning look. "Watch over the bar and Lilly for a moment, will you? I think Yuffie is sick and I want to check on her," she said worriedly.

"Sick how?" asked Cloud as he took his daughter and pressed a kiss to her chubby cheek.

"She ran up to the bathroom to throw up, and before that I think she had a dizzy spell," Tifa murmured, not missing the look Cloud was giving her. "She can't be…… can she?"

Cloud shrugged. "Go check on her and try to get details. If she has all the symptoms that you did, maybe you need to take her to a store to buy a test."

Tifa stared at him and shook her head with a grin. "I always knew you weren't so clueless."

"Thanks?" asked Cloud sarcastically.

She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek before she darted up the stairs in search of her friend. She just hoped that she had made it to the bathroom on time. As she neared the door, she could hear Yuffie dry heaving and coughing violently.

"Yuffie, can I come in?" she asked, turning the doorknob slowly and peaking in, in case her friend didn't want her in there.

Yuffie flushed the toilet and moved to the sink to wash her mouth thoroughly with mouthwash and water. She dried her hands and then gave Tifa a smile that was more grimace than anything reassuring.

"Have you and Vincent been together without protection?" she asked the ninja bluntly.

Yuffie looked at her in mortification and took out her phone, hoping Tifa had hers as well. She did. Yeah, but we've talked about it and Vince said that he was probably too old to produce any kids. We haven't really worried about it.

Tifa wanted to slap her forehead. "You shouldn't have taken his word without proof. The fact that he was experimented on and was in a sort of hibernated sleep for nearly thirty years does not make him infertile," she said slowly, hoping that Yuffie caught on to what she was saying.

Yuffie's eyes flew wide and she was thankful that she had nothing else to expel because she hadn't had any breakfast. Teef, what are you trying to say? You think I'm… OMG!!!

Tifa grabbed her by the arms when Yuffie nearly fainted. "Stay with me Yuffie. Have you been nauseous? Can't keep food down? Are you having cravings? Have you missed a period? Breasts are sore?"

Yes. Yes. Yes. Crap, yes. Dunno about the last one. I barely have any breasts.

Tifa let out a small laugh. "You didn't realize that you'd missed a period?"

I've always had problems with my period so I thought nothing of missing it these last few months. Teef, what am I gonna do if I am pregnant? What if Vince tells me to get rid of it, or he leaves me with the baby and never comes back?

"Calm down, you're overreacting," said Tifa, guiding her towards the door. "First we need to verify. We'll go to the store and buy a home test. If it comes out positive—" she held Yuffie again as she swayed at her words. "—we'll have to take you to a doctor to get checked up."

Okay. Was all she managed to write to Tifa. She was busy trying to put one foot in front of the other in order to not fall flat on her face.

Tifa smiled at Cloud as they walked out of the bar and towards the nearest drug store. She knew that Yuffie and Vincent would make great parents. She just didn't know how both would handle it if it came to happen so soon.

…………

Thirty minutes later, Yuffie and Tifa were standing outside of the bathroom, waiting the three minutes that had to pass by in order for the test to give them the results. Except that they had been waiting for nearly five minutes now and Yuffie refused to go in to see if it was a positive stick.

Tifa sighed to herself and checked on Lilly as she took her afternoon nap in her crib. Though she cried and fussed like any other baby, she behaved when it came time to sleep and often slept through the entire night. She wondered with a smile what a baby of Vincent and Yuffie would look like. After tucking Lilly in with a warm blanket, Tifa walked back out to see that Yuffie was still pacing outside of the bathroom. She looked pale and jumpy, as if any sudden movement would frighten her into hysterics.

"Yuffie?" she asked gently. The ninja turned to her and wrung her hands. "You need to go see the test. Maybe it's negative and you're worrying over nothing."

Yuffie stopped and stared at her. What if it really was negative? A very small part of her that wasn't worried sick, gave a mournful little cry. Did she really want to be pregnant with Vincent's baby despite all the things that could be against her? But she was still young, and her relationship with Vincent was so fragile still. They had only just gotten started and they hadn't even discussed where they were going. How much more would a baby complicate things?

Now she was back to worrying and the nausea was back with a vengeance. She would've told Tifa that she was going to be sick, but there was no time and she burst into the bathroom, coming to a stop in front of the toilet again. She was so very thankful that Tifa was such a neat freak and that her bathroom was squeaky clean because she nearly put her entire head inside the porcelain bowl. Nothing came up since she hadn't eaten anything yet. When she was done dry heaving, she looked up to see Tifa standing at the sink, looking down at the test with an unreadable expression on her face.

Yuffie sucked in a breath and stood, feeling her heart beating erratically in her chest. Tifa moved aside to let her see it, and for a moment she didn't know what she was saying. She had never taken a pregnancy test before because she'd had no reason to. She swallowed hard when Tifa spoke.

"If it's one line, it's negative. If there are two……"

Yuffie looked down at the test and felt her heart stop for a moment. There were two lines. She looked at her friend and then back at the test. Tifa was smiling slightly, but the smile fell when she saw the look on Yuffie's face. Next thing she knew, she was holding a very unconscious ninja in her arms.

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When she looks at me

I get so weak

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Hehehe, I know you're probably rolling your eyes at me, but I really love fics where Vince and Yuffie are going to be parents or already have a kid. Also, I know I said it was a three part, then a four part fic, but now I'm making it a five part. I know for sure that there is only one chapter left so be patient with me peeps. Next chapter will include Yuffie's reaction, and how Vince will find out, and where they will go from there. I already have my ending figured out, so for sure the next chapter will be the last. I know there was less fluff here than I intended, but the final chapter will make up for that.

Thank you so much for the great reviews, they mean so much to me, and it makes me want to be a better writer. Also, please ignore the typos and grammar errors, I will go back and fix them later on. Have a great weekend and party safe people. Don't drink and drive, and I guess I will see you all next year for the ending of this fic!

Joey